How do karaoke apps like smule deal with song licenses?
The sing app is really popular and people are able to upload licensed copyrighted songs. How are they getting around this legally? Even when people upload covers on YouTube, is this legally ok? I’m curious how music app creators who do not have a lot of capital get around this?
AFAIK, on one hand, personal use (including covers and parodies, although some conditions apply) are not subjected to copyright infringement. On the other hand, commercial use strongly requires copyright. Everything in between is kind of a gray area. The app, by itself, is just a platform for sharing. What can be seen as personal and commercial content should be stated in the terms and conditions. That is just my two cents, you'd need to talk with a true consultant/lawyer if you're thinking of getting serious with this.